Marxism-Leninism Study Guide

This topical study guide is intended for all of those interested in learning about the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism, the science of revolution.

Marxism-Leninism is the synthesis and summation of the historic experiences of the revolutionary struggles of working and oppressed people against capitalism and imperialism for more than 160 years, and as such it is a weapon to be used by working and oppressed people in their struggles for emancipation, liberation, and the building of a new world. As Stalin has said, Marxism-Leninism is not a dogma but a guide to action.

Mao Zedong studying the writings of J. V. Stalin in the Yenan base area during the Chinese Revolution

The focus of the study guide is on the classic works of the five principal theoreticians of Marxism-Leninism: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao. Also included are the writings of many other revolutionaries who have creatively applied M-L to the concrete conditions of their countries.

The readings have been divided into distinct topics, with the idea that this study guide will mostly be used by individuals for study on their own in tackling particular, concrete problems. Each topic is then subdivided between basic/essential readings and supplementary readings. The selection here has been made mainly in the interest of finding texts can be grasped quickly and in a practical way.

The best textbook for the study of Marxism-Leninism is, without a doubt, the 1939 Soviet textbook, History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) – Short Course. Writtenby Joseph Stalin and approved by the Central Committee of the CPSU(B), Mao Zedong said it should be the principal material for the study of Marxism-Leninism and called the book “the best synthesis and summing up of the world communist movement of the past hundred years, a model of the integration of theory and practice.”